After the cup success over Dresden, the Lilies have to play away again in the 2nd Bundesliga on Saturday (November 2nd/1pm). There the Darmstadt team meets SpVgg Greuther Fürth. In order to best prepare you for the upcoming opponent, we have summarised everything important about the Fürth strength as well as the coaches and players in our opponent check.
With eleventh place in the 2nd Bundesliga, the hosts are in solid midfield for the upcoming game. However, Greuther Fürth has already had a turbulent phase. After losing 4-0 against 1. FC Nürnberg in front of their home crowd in the Frankenderby, those responsible pulled the rope and fired both coach Alexander Zorniger and sports director Rachid Azouzzi. Leonard Haas took over the team on an interim basis and promptly secured a 4-3 win over Schalke. However, there was a setback in the cup during the week: Fürth lost 1-0 in Regensburg and were eliminated from the DFB Cup.
| Top Scorers | Top Assists |
| Noel Futkeu – 4 Goals | Branimir Hrgota – 3 Assists |
| Julien Green – 4 Goals | Noel Futkeu – 2 Assists |
| Dennis Srbeny – 2 Goals | Gian-Luca Itter – 2 Assists |
| Roberto Massimo – 2 Goals | Julien Green – 1 Assist |
“It’s nice to be back in Fürth,” said Leonhard Haas when he returned to his old place of work at the beginning of the year – originally to train the Kleeblatt’s U23s in the Regionalliga Bayern. He probably couldn’t have imagined at the time that he would take over as interim head coach of the professional team a few months later. But that’s exactly how it happened: After Alexander Zorniger was dismissed, Haas suddenly found himself on the sidelines in the Veltins Arena at Schalke and celebrated a perfect debut. He led the Fürth second division team to a thrilling 4-3 win against S04.
However, a setback immediately followed in the DFB Cup. Haas‘ team had to admit defeat 0-1 against SSV Jahn Regensburg and thus say goodbye to the competition. How long he will take on the role of head coach is currently unclear. But the people of Fürth plan to continue with him on the sidelines, at least until the winter break.
Haas is no stranger to Fürth anyway. From 2007 to 2011, during his active career as a midfielder, he played in 94 competitive games for the Cloverleafs – he also has twelve goals and 18 assists on his CV. He also collected professional games for Hansa Rostock, Bayern Munich II, FC Augsburg and FC Ingolstadt. As a trainer, Haas worked for Wacker Burghausen and at the Salzburg Academy, among others.
The Lilies should definitely avoid set piece situations against Fürth. The Cloverleafs has already scored seven goals from dead balls and is therefore in second place in the league – only Fortuna Düsseldorf was more successful here. Over a third of SpVgg’s goals to date have come from set-pieces situations, which makes this a particularly dangerous Fürth weapon.
Imagine: At just 18 years old, you are making your professional debut – away at FC Bayern Munich, of all places. You play your first Bundesliga game in front of 75,000 spectators in the sold-out Allianz Arena and face none other than Arjen Robben, who you are supposed to defend. In the end, the Dutchman managed to score, but the game ended in a surprising 2-2 draw. This is exactly how Gian-Luca Itter’s professional career began. Back in the 2017/18 season he was still wearing the VfL Wolfsburg uniform, but today he continues to wear green – but for Greuther Fürth.
Despite a strong debut against Robben, Itter failed to make his breakthrough in Wolfsburg. He has just seven professional games for the Wolves on his resume. He then moved to SC Freiburg, where he only made three professional appearances from 2019 to 2021. The Giessen native only found his luck with the game association in Fürth, for which he has now played 80 competitive games.
As a left-back, the 25-year-old is an integral part of the Cloverleaf’s starting line-up. In nine of the eleven competitive games so far this season, Itter has been on the field, scored one goal and prepared two more. His passing accuracy is particularly impressive: 85 percent of his passes reach his teammate. He also draws attention when it comes to fairness – there is only one foul in his statistics this season.
On Sunday (Oct 18th), SV Darmstadt 98 will visit Karlsruher SC. The side from Baden differs from the Lilies in several key respects. Furthermore, the match will see SV 98 cross paths with a former player once again. Find out here about other connections between the two clubs, as well as some particularly interesting statistics ahead of the encounter.
On Tuesday evening (October 13th), the SilberLilien took part in SV Darmstadt 98’s Stolperstein tour for the first time. Along the approximately six-kilometre route, the participants made several stops to learn more about the fates of Jewish club members who were persecuted and driven out during the Holocaust.
From new grassroots sports offerings and a look back at the club's history to birthdays and the latest updates from the media briefing—there is plenty to report from SV Darmstadt 98 again this week. In "Lilien Across the Board," we round up the news, insights, and stories from life at the club.
Tickets for the home match against 1. FC Heidenheim on November 22nd are available for purchase now.
SV Darmstadt 98's U21 team proved their mettle at home against KSV Hessen Kassel II in the Hessenliga on Sunday (Oct. 11th). After a convincing 90-minute performance, the Young Lilies secured another three points, finishing with a decisive 4–0 victory that lifts them to sixth place in the standings.
The Lilies overturned an early deficit to celebrate a 3–1 home victory against Energie Cottbus—a win that boosts confidence and confirms the progress being made. Read our analysis to find out why there is still work to be done and what positives SV 98 takes away from the match.
This season, too, Lilien fans will be doubly rewarded for every home goal scored by SV Darmstadt 98. In addition to the joy and excitement of the goals, the team's supporters will receive 98 litres of Krombacher Pils for every home goal scored by Darmstadt at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
After the international break, Darmstadt 98 returned to the Bölle with a home win! Against Energie Cottbus, SV Darmstadt 98 put on a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and rewarded themselves with three points after an intense match. We've compiled the post-match reactions for you here:
Despite falling behind, Darmstadt secured their second consecutive home win! Darmstadt defeated Energie Cottbus 3-1 (1-1). The home side equalised after conceding an early goal in the four-minute period through Weißhaupt before halftime. Vukotic headed his team into the lead in the second half, before Lührs sealed the victory with the third goal. This home win brings Darmstadt's season total to seven points.
Homegame at Böllenfalltor (10/10, 1pm): Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting XI compared to the away match in Wolfsburg three weeks ago. Richter and Mikelbrencis come into the starting lineup for Sickinger (calf issues) and Lannert (illness).
On Saturday afternoon (October 10th, 1pm), SV 98 hosts Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor for Matchday 7. What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match, and where can you follow the action live? As always, we have compiled all the key information regarding the game against Cottbus in our "Matchday Guide" feature.
